Nano-sized materials (or nanostructures) can differ markedly from their analogous bulk materials. In particular, physical, chemical, electrical, and other properties of nanostructures can correlate with their morphology, including shape and size. As a result, efforts have been made to develop methods for producing nanostructures with controllable morphology, hence tailoring their properties. Unfortunately, existing methods can suffer from poor yields and difficulty in attaining desired nanostructure morphology. Nanowires of high aspect ratios and small diameters, such as over 500 in aspect ratio and below 30 nm in diameter, are particularly difficult to attain consistently.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the embodiments described herein.